Success for Hanford residents on noisy crossing

One of the several petitions I campaigned for last year was to help residents of Hanford Close in Southfields get some respite from the noise of heavy goods vehicles slamming over the pedestrian crossing outside their houses in the early hours, when there is much less background noise.

Well, despite taking nine months to respond to the petition (which I submitted in December 2008 and which is finally coming up for action this Thursday, Sept 2009), the Conservative Council has accepted that the crossing isn't especially effective as it is, and will soften the bumps so that vehicles make less noise going across it.

Hanford Close is a small estate on the corner of Merton Road and Brookwood Road - the edge of the Southfields "Grid". The crossing across Merton Road is a busy one because it serves Southfields Community College. A couple of years ago the council spent thousands raising this and a couple of other Merton Road crossings on the pretext that they would make them more visible features for motorists and make pedestrians more visible, after three road traffic accidents (RTAs) there.

Unfortunately, the work hasn't changed those statistics: the number of RTAs since the crossing was raised is the same as when it was flat to the road surface; in fact the severity of those accidents has worsened - but to be fair that's not to do with the crossing itself. However, it does raise questions of the council's use of highways resources when Putney, Roehampton and Southfields roads are in such a dreadful condition, and when plans like this have unintended consequences for surrounding residents - like this noise nuisance.

I'm delighted that the council's taking action: it again shows what residents can do when they work with me to get things sorted in our area. And I hope the work gives residents, once again, a peaceful night's sleep.

You can read the report on the crossing here.

Out and about in Southfields

There are plenty of opportunities to gain spectacular views of Putney, Wandsworth and much of the rest of London from around the consituency, but among the best are those the residents of the Wimbledon Park estate off Albert Drive enjoy. Here's an example of what I mean: it covers pretty much all of Southfields council ward - which runs from the edge of Wimbledon Park right the way up to the Arndale estate in central Wandsworth. You can click on it for a larger version.

The three Arndale estate tower blocks in Neville Gill Close - and to their right the new Argento Tower - are in the far left of the picture. The red block in the foreground of the picture is Wimbledon Park Court - behind it is Wimbledon Park Road and just to its left, though not visible, is Southfields tube.

Immediately behind Wimbledon Park Court is the Southfields "grid" the streets in between Replingham Road in the north and Revelstoke Road in the south. You may be able to see St Barnabas's Church on the corner of Lavenham Road and Merton Road with it's short green spire in the middle and about two thirds of the way to the right.

Southfields to get an Oxford Street style makeover

Earlier this year a bit of interest was generated over plans to introduce Japanese-style crossings - which allow pedestrians to cross diagonally as well as straight across. The benefit of such crossings is that they can create a direct route to a destination rather than, literally, having to go round the houses.

Now the council is proposing a similar plan for the road layout around Southfields Station. If these plans are approved next week, residents of the grid in particular will be able to cross to and from Southfields Station straight over to Replingham Road in one go.

Click here to read the report on the Southfields crossing plan.

Razing Merton Road's raised crossing

A few days ago I was in Hanford Close, a council estate on the edge of the Southfields Grid at the corner of Brookwood Road and Merton Road - opposite Southfields Community College.

Last year the Conservative Council decided to raise the zebra crossing here, no doubt with the well-meaning intention of making motorists better aware of the large number of school pupils crossing Merton Road here.

These are laudable aims but a questionable way of tackling a problem I'm not sure ever existed.

The consequence is that while cars do slow to avoid any damage as they go over the raised crossing, lorries have no need to do so, and so slam over the crossing at all hours. That creates a huge din loud enough to wake Hanford Close residents in the early hours of the morning.

If the crossing prevents road traffic accidents then that may be a price worth paying for the disturbance. But I doubt there was a problem with the old crossing before it was raised. I find it hard to believe that motorists failed to spot the crossing, the flashing lights and the bright markings when it was flush to the road surface; nor am I aware of any road traffic accidents here prior to it being raised up.

And if raising a crossing has such a dramatic impact saving lives, why hasn't the council raised all crossings around the borough, or even just those near schools and colleges?

I've written to the council asking them to review this crossing, or provide clear evidence that raising the crossing up in itself has produced significant road safety benefits that outweigh the detrimental impact on the residents of Hanford Close of what is effectively a super-road hump.

The residents of Hanford Close and I look forward to hearing from them.

My Southfields survey

I grew up around Southfields - I lived just the other side of the Wandle; my first summer job was in the Arndale where my mum worked for over 30 years; I won my first school football medal in King George's Park.

Southfields will be one of the first parts of London to benefit directly from the 2012 Olympics. Plans are in the advanced design stage to add a passenger lift, ticket hall and generally upgrade the tube station ready for Olympic tennis at the All England Club. A fully accessible station will benefit Southfields far beyond 2012 and I know how long the area has waited for this work.

But there remain challenges. I'm really concerned about plans for massive overdevelopment in the Southfields ward. A new tower block above King George's Park is nearly finished. Skyscrapers of up to 42 storeys are planned for the Ram Brewery. Hardwick's Way and the 16-floor Cockpen House plan in Buckhold Road will add hundreds of people to the area. These plans threaten the area's character and set a precedent for future overdevelopment.

Southfields can be even better. Are there ways we can improve road safety throughout the grid? Find a way to prevent overdevelopment and the loss of garden space while enabling families to expand their homes? Crime is low, but where do you think improvements can be made?

Tell me what you think. My new Southfields survey is live - click here to tell me about your concerns and priorities for Southfields.